FOR any addict, the first step to recovery is making the decision
to change. And for a drug addict, it is the beginning of what will be a
long, painful, but ultimately rewarding journey.

When actress Melanie Griffith checked into a clinic last November,
she declared she was ready to take that route. Bravely, she also decided
do so in public.

Through her own website, she has charted her battle to beat her
addiction to sleeping pills and painkillers. She also has a message
board where she replies to pleas for help and expressions of support.

She is just one of many big-name stars - and even more ordinary
people in the UK - who have found that their addiction has been fuelled
entirely innocently.

In fitness-crazy Hollywood, sports injuries are common. Griffith,
Matthew Perry, James Brown and Johnny Cash say injuries started them off
on prescribed sleeping pills or painkillers.

Michael Jackson, NFL superstar Brett Favre and Cindy McCain, wife
of Senator John McCain, have also had addictions.

Without realising it, people can easily become addicted after
suffering a genuine problem. One expert says 12 per cent of those using
strong painkillers become hooked on them. Of course, if any substance
can create feel-good highs, there will always be people ready to abuse
it.

Hollywood is gripped by a new addiction epidemic. The painkillers
(Vicodin, Percodan, and Percocet) and tranquillisers (Xanax, Ativan and
Valium) have replaced cocaine and heroin as the trendy drugs.

These pills have become fashionable and socially acceptable because
they are legal and easy to obtain. They don't make you twitch and
you don't get arrested.

Rap star Eminem even has a tattoo of a Vicodin pill on his left
arm.

The drugs have become so accepted that bowls of them are served at
parties. On party-goer said: "It isn't like the old drug
parties where everyone's off in their own world. You can listen to
music, eat dinner and talk. If you didn't know people were doing
this stuff, you'd never guess.

"Vikes (Vicodin) are like smoking a joint. You go home, sleep
well and on Monday morning, you feel great. No hangover."

But the dangers posed by the misuse of painkillers or
tranquillisers are just as real as those associated with illegal drugs.

An overdose can be fatal or may damage the liver or kidneys. They
are also addictive. Regular users require bigger doses in pursuit of
their buzz - and this produces unpleasant and distressing side-effects,
such as extreme anxiety, depression, palpitations and even
hallucinations when the supply is cut off.

So what about the thousands of people in this country addicted to
painkillers and tranquillisers through no fault of their own?

They are the ones who, many years ago, were prescribed these drugs
by their GPs for pain, panic attacks or sleepless nights and had the
dosage repeated, or upped, until the cycle of dependency became
unbearable.

Former teacher Mavis Strudwick, 70, now lives on Orkney. Like many
other people, she began to take an interest in environmental issues in
the late Seventies.

She was passionate about protecting the planet, but became
increasingly emotional about the subject. She said: "I kept getting
upset and started having anxiety attacks."

Mavis was living in England and her then doctor prescribed the
tranquilliser Ativan.

Mavis said: "The attacks weren't that bad. If I had been
given advice about relaxation techniques, which I'm using now, that
would have been all I needed."

That's what would happen now if someone consults their GP
about anxiety. Unfortunately for Mavis, and many others, this was not
the approach 30 years ago.

She said: "I began to feel that I couldn't function
without Ativan each day. I ended up taking it for 20 years."

The irony for Mavis was that the symptoms she had been prescribed
Ativan for had become a side-effect of taking the drug.

She said: "I had dreadful episodes of panic and I was
virtually hysterical sometimes. I was in an appalling state in the
supermarket one day and my husband Frank had to help me out."

The couple decided she needed help to get off Ativan. Mavis said:
"There ar programmes to help people off illegal drugs and alcohol,
but there seemed nothing for people addicted to prescribed drugs."

Then Mavis discovered the Council for Involuntary Tranquilliser
Addiction (CITA).She said: "You can't do this yourself. The
withdrawal must be gradual and you need people to guide you. CITA were
marvellous.

"Withdrawing from the tranquillisers was hell. You suffer from
tremors, hallucinations and depression, but CITA were always on the
phone telling me I'd get through it."

Mavis began her recovery on October 17, 1997 and by the end of
August 1999, she was off Ativan and was taking a little Valium."

But sadly, as Mavis grew stronger, Frank become ill and died. Now
on her own, Mavis feels that there is no follow-up service for people
like her.

She said: "I had to phone an organisation in Liverpool for
help. I can't consider myself completely recovered, I still have
problems,though I'm learning to cope." Mavis is not considered
disabled and can't claim benefit help. But that may change. Last
October, a conference of scientists and campaigners demanded a change in
the use of the tranquilliser drugs known as benzodiazepines (which
includes Ativan and Valium).

Some believe that the manufacturers have known for years these
drugs have dangerous side-effects and there is now a campaign for
compensation.

In the meantime, there is help there for people who are addicted to
prescription drugs. Organisations such as Benzo or CITA have a vital
role to play for those who are addicted. But a doctor's help is
vital and should always be a first port of call.

That is after doing what Melanie Griffith recommends: "Decide
to take control of your life."